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My gem this week goes to “Du hast” by Rammstein as I randomly heard it playing at a sports pub recently.

I loved this song when I had first heard it back in the late 90s. Even though the song is in German, I was still drawn to the metal passion in the vocals as it’s delivered so fiercely.

I had a burned copy of the Sehnsucht album and I use to play the hell out it. That album explodes with so much metal that you can only bang your head.

From what I remember and I tried researching this again but there is an english translation and basically it’s about marriage. The lyrics in the song carry a double meaning of you hate me but at the same time you wish to marry me.

The song definitely has a relatable frustration that I feel when I hear it.

I still think Rammstein is a great metal band and I was glad that I heard “Du hast” again because they are gem worthy!

Below is the link for “Du hast” with an english translation shared from Paul Neeson’s You Tube channel.

My gem this week goes to the 60s soul R&B hit “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge. I have a love for soul and this is a powerful song that I of course wanted to pay my tribute to after hearing the sad news that Sledge passed away yesterday from cancer at age 74.

I have always been a fan of soulful voices like Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin but with “When a Man Loves a Woman” Sledge sings his heart out in that true soulful passion. You can’t help but feel the impact of this great song and it will surely continue to live on and be covered by other artists.

Sledge also does an awesome cover of “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King which is one of my favorite versions.

Below is the link for Sledge’s hit shared from Oldies in HD’s You Tube channel.

My gem this week goes to “Cough Syrup” by hardcore rockers Butthole Surfers. The song carries that familiar 90s era alternative sound. But this band came out of the 80s punk hardcore scene and formed a reputation for putting on weird live shows.

The track “Cough Syrup” is from the band’s album Electriclarryland (1996) and the album is consistent with droning/grunge guitars throughout. The more well-known hit from this album was “Pepper” but my favorite is “Cough Syrup.” There is something about it that makes it a dark hidden gem. This week seemed like the perfect time to dust the song off and revisit its grungy glory.

Another weird rumor that I had read once about the Butthole Surfers was that they moved to Georgia to stalk members of R.E.M. Now, R.E.M is my favorite band of all time and if this rumor was true I have to give respect to their odd and creepy desire to stalk the greatness that is R.E.M. But I’m pretty sure their reputation for hidden drug references in songs and doing weird things is all within their territory. I have always liked their music enough that I can overlook their creepy quirks.

Below is the link for “Cough Syrup” shared from Larry Bagina’s You Tube Channel.

My gem this week goes to “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen” by american celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys.

This one is off their album The Warrior’s Code (2005).

On St. Patrick’s Day I like to dig out my favorite irish/rock songs and of course the Dropkick Murphys are a perfect fit since all of their songs put you in a mood to have fun and rock out with green beer.

This band has always been one of my favorite bands to see live because they have a lot of fun on stage and they really know how to rock out. They are also one of those bands that tour a lot so when I was younger they always were on the line-up at every Warped Tour I went to as well as a few local radio hosted shows. Seeing them live so much is how I became a fan.

My favorite album by them is their 2007 release The Meanest of Times . If you like the punk/irish fusion then this is the album to check out.

Below is the link for “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen” shared from re4manonline’s You Tube channel.

My gem this week goes to punk icons Bad Religion and the acoustic version of “Infected” their 1994 hit from the album Stranger Than Fiction.

I have been in an acoustic mood lately. I was listening to cover versions of hardcore classics when I came across this version of “Infected” that the band had done in a studio session for Kroq. I liked it so much that I could not resist sharing it.

I have blogged in the past about how much I love Bad Religion and how they are one of the most influential hardcore punk bands out there. I love this song it’s a gem from 1994.

Lead singer Greg Graffin has always inspired me. He is not your average punk front man as he holds a Ph.D and he crosses over performing solo acoustic/folk music too.

Below is the link for “Infected” shared from Elpunko’s You Tube channel.

This one was off their double album Stadium Arcadium. I have always loved the catchy guitar riff. Guitarist John Frusciante is one of my favorites he always brings that unique hook to The Chili Pepper songs.

Now “Snow” is actually referencing drugs and the issues that singer Anthony Kiedis struggles to overcome but the title came to my mind this week with this bitter cold winter.

The Chili Peppers are one of those bands that hold a high spot among my collection. My favorite albums are Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) and Californication (1999).

Another thing I admire about the band is that they really appreciate fans. Last year they released a fan tribute book called Fandemonium filled with random shots of fans taken at their live shows worldwide.

Honoring their fans in that way has made me love The Chili Peppers a little more and I have seen them twice in concert. They definitely like to get crazy and interactive with fans.

Below is the link for “Snow” shared from Warner Bros. Records You Tube channel.

I love the lyrics and video to “My Silver Lining” which is off their 2014 album Stay Gold.

I also like their whole style reminiscent of 60s and 70s era.

I have been listening through their albums for the last couple weeks and I also liked “Cedar Lane” and “Heaven Knows” from Stay Gold and I also loved another catchy song called “Wolf” from their album The Lion’s Roar. (2012)

From what I noticed on their official site they are currently touring mostly around Sweden and Australia. But they do have U.S. dates scheduled to play a couple of music festivals in the summer.

I hope they will have more tour dates scheduled for the U.S. because they are definitely a band I want to check out live.

Below is the video for “My Silver Lining” shared from FirstAidKitVEVO You Tube channel.

I’m a huge Beck fan and I’m happy that he won for Best Rock Album and Album of the Year for Morning Phase.

I previously wrote about my anticipation for the album in my post from Jan 22, 2014 and in my post from July 2, 2014 I covered how much I loved Beck in concert. His live show in Detroit was one of the best shows I have ever been to. Beck is truly a super talented artist.

As for Kanye West rushing the stage acting like a jack ass once again I think Beck’s reaction to his stupidity was perfect and I’m going to leave it at that.

Congrats to Beck for his well deserved win!

Below is the link for “Turn Away” shared from U2ultravioletero’s You tube channel.

My gem this week goes to one of my classic rock favorites “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. This song came to mind as it relates to my current mood, so I dug out my Rumours (1977) album to listen to it.

This is my favorite song from the Rumours album and I have always been inspired by singer Stevie Nicks. I think she is a phenomenal songwriter and I have always carried the highest respect for her as a true artist. Nicks vocals offer comfort and carry a distinct enchanting vibe.

The verse that vents frustration and speaks volumes for me is:

“Damn your love, damn your lies and if you don’t love me now, you will never love me again.”

There are other parts to the song that make it powerful like the bass part in end when Nicks is repeating:

“Chain keep us together, Running in the shadows.”

I can never get tired of listening to this song or the Rumours album in general.

Fleetwood Mac actually played a recent show this past October in Detroit but I missed it unfortunately.

I would have loved to see Nicks on stage because I’m sure it would be unforgettable.

Below is the link for “The Chain” shared from Gtarmann007’s You Tube channel.